Large 3D Printer, Electronics, and Design
Why has 3D Platform developed such a large 3D printer?
Industry need was the primary driver in developing a large format printer. Engineers needed a printer that was capable of producing an object larger than what was previously limited on a desktop printer. They needed a printer to create real world prototypes and production parts that ordinary desktop 3D printers could not. They also needed that machine to be affordable—$300,000+ (USD) was too much!
Capitalizing on extensive expertise in bearings, linear motion systems and cartesian robots, our engineering team created the first open market, large format 3D printer. This first-generation machine was introduced in 2014, using the SIMO series technology from PBC Linear.
In the video above, one of our engineers reiterates the genesis of the large format 3D printer.
At the time, a lot of our 3D printers were very small footprints, and most of the products and parts that we wanted to print just simply would not fit on the printer. So, we decided to come up with a large 3D printer that could not only do a one-meter by one-meter print, but also run production parts. Initially, we had a customer that came to us with a small production run involving a prototype. The print run was successful in that we were able to print it all on one print bed. -- Joe, Development Engineer
How is 3DP expanding?
In 2017, 3DP released the fifth generation in its family of large 3D printers. The WorkSeries family of large 3D printers has had multiple industry-first enhancements for customers. Members of this family include the standard sized WorkSeries 100 (print volume of 1m x 1m x 0.5m), on up to the WorkSeries 400 (print volume of 1m x 1.5m x 0.7m) which has twice the build area of the WS100. This flexibility in the brand allows customers match the printer with their needs.
The WorkSeries family also offers customers the choice of HFA and HFE extruders. Users get to choose if they want an extruder geared towards higher fidelity or higher throughput. Nozzles range from 0.2 mm up to 4.8 mm, and offer print volumes starting at 4 cubic inches per hour up to 60 cubic inches per hour. Our extruders are the fastest on the market, with up to 16 times the speed over competitors.
In 2018, 3DP continued on its path of machine innovation by introducing its next generation of large format 3D printers, the WorkCenter 500. This machine has an extra-large print volume of 2.4 cubic meters or 73 cubic feet (1.4 m x 2.8 m x 0.7 m or 4 ft x 8 ft x 2.3 ft)!
- The ability to use spool or pellet fed extruders
- A rock-solid industrial control from Yaskawa
- Highly reliable, machine-tool components for the bearings and motion system
- An easy to use, remotely accessible control system
What are the electronics inside printers from 3DP?
In the video above, our 3DP engineer explains how valuable input from our co-designer regarding open-source hardware, software and firmware allowed us to get products to market quickly, while keeping costs down. Inside our state-of-the-art 3D printer is a hard two-wheel mega board. It is also equipped with a RAMPS board to step-in direction out to our motors. The stepper motor controller on the RAMPS board is bypassed, and therefore, is actually running an amplifier on the motors, allowing a big machine to take advantage of low-cost electronics.
The advantage to this is that the wiring for the printer is simplified. The first prototypes used an amplifier that was built right underneath the machine. Originally the wire ran from the board to the amplifier, and then back out to the motor. Now we have just one cable, which keeps things cheaper and much cleaner looking. It is a very simple design that still gets great performance.
What Materials Can Print on a 3D Platform 3D Printer?
The short video above discusses PLA and the other potential materials that can be used for rapid prototypes on large format 3D printers. In the interview with our development engineer, we delve into PLA and other kinds of materials that can be used with large format 3D printers. For starters, PLA stands for polylactic acid. It is a biodegradable plastic with a cornstarch base. It is an ideal material for the office as gas output is low so there is no requirement for ventilation.
PLA is one of our favorite materials to use in the early stages of development. It is easy to work with, and therefore allows us to get through our designs really quick. We have also used ABS, which is a much stronger material. This is a material we use more in end-use cases, like a product that we have designed. We also are experimenting with nylons and polycarbonate. In fact, everyday there are new types of materials hitting the market. We have recently seen wood material and really exotic options out there like bio-material and different kinds of metals. We are excited to see where the material industry can take us in the next few years, but for the basic user for the rapid prototyping, the material remains PLA.